After the UW Huskies sat idle last weekend, coach Jedd Fisch met with reporters on Monday to preview Washington’s Saturday game at No. 13 Indiana.
UW Huskies to see big shift in opponents’ playing style after bye
Here’s what to know.
UW Huskies’ tackle depth thinning
The Huskies already were on their second starting left tackle of the season. Maximus McCree, a transfer from Maryland via junior college, had stepped in for redshirt freshman Soane Faasolo after Faasolo was injured in the Apple Cup, and started each of UW’s last four games. But McCree dislocated his thumb on the Huskies’ first series of their 40-16 loss at Iowa, and Faasolo, available but not 100 percent, had to replace him.
It sounds like Faasolo will make his first start since Sept. 14 when the Huskies visit No. 13 Indiana on Saturday, as Fisch said McCree likely won’t be able to play. Faasolo’s backup will be fellow redshirt freshman Kahlee Tafai, a 2023 signee who redshirted last season and has played 41 snaps in three games this year, per Pro Football Focus.
Otherwise, health is OK
Junior edge rusher Zach Durfee, who missed the Iowa game with a toe injury, should be able to play Saturday, Fisch said. And aside from McCree, there were no injuries sustained against Iowa that should prevent anybody else from playing.
That should mean a few more players closer to full strength, including left guard Gaard Memmelaar, linebacker Carson Bruener and tailback Jonah Coleman.
None of those players has missed a game, though Memmelaar appeared limited the past two weeks and Landen Hatchett started in his place at Iowa. Bruener has been playing through an AC sprain suffered in the Apple Cup. Fisch said the senior captain rested his shoulder during the bye week and didn’t engage in any contact at practice. Bruener leads the team with 44 tackles.
“He told me yesterday he feels the best he’s felt since the injury,” Fisch said.
Coleman, too, has continued to make plays despite working through some kind of ailment. He carried nine times for 80 yards at Iowa and is fourth in the Big Ten in rushing.
“I think Jonah needed these couple of weeks,” Fisch said. “He has not practiced, really, except for (Sunday) a little bit. He feels like he’s pretty close to being ‘back.’ One of the things we noticed was, when he’s in the game, there’s a pretty big impact.”
In defense of Grady Gross
Fisch was asked about Gross, UW’s junior kicker, and how he has mentally processed the rough patch he experienced against Rutgers, Michigan and Iowa. Gross either missed a field goal or had one blocked in each of those games, and is 4 for 9 in that span.
Fisch said Gross “kicked it great yesterday,” referring to a 48-yarder he made at the conclusion of Sunday’s practice which saved his teammates from having to run four gassers.
UW’s entire special-teams unit has struggled this season, as the Huskies rank 126th nationally in opponent kickoff return average and 114th in punt return average. And Gross’ lone miss against Iowa, from 32 yards, was blocked by a defender who pushed through the A-gap.
“It really is all 11, and it’s unfortunate sometimes that it always looks like it’s the kicker, or the punter,” Fisch said. “You sometimes lose track of, if a guy steps the wrong way and there’s a guy running through the A-gap, that has nothing to do with the kicker, yet we all see the kick blocked. Or if you feel extra pressure, too much penetration, and you wind up hooking a kick, it all looks like it’s always on Grady, and that’s tough.
“I think Grady knows he’s got a responsibility to kick it through the uprights, and he’s doing a really good job of focusing in on that. Our offensive line or any of our guys involved in field goal understand their responsibility in this. We all need to get better in special teams, and it is my hope that we come out against Indiana and have our best special teams game.”
This column from UW Huskies football insider Christian Caple is exclusive to Seattle Sports. Subscribe to OnMontlake.com for full access to Caple’s in-depth Husky coverage.
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